South Sudan seeks resilience mechanisms to combat climate change

January 28, 2018 (JUBA) - South Sudan has vowed to implement resilient and adaptive mechanisms to mitigate negative effects of climate change partly responsible for the hunger crisis in the war-torn East African country.

Joseph Bartel, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said climate change was the cause of erratic rainfall patterns, excessive heat, drought and loss of soil fertility and desertification in the country that was recently declassified by the UN to be no longer in famine.

"The ministry of environment in partnership with UN Environment Program (UNEP) prepared the South Sudan National Adaptation Program. We identified 58 adaptation projects and we prioritized five including smart agriculture that UNDP is embarking on," he said.

He told delegates at the climate change and environment conference that these projects will enhance the adaptive capacity of South Sudan to climate change.

"We have to act now in order to save the many lives of people who are currently feeling the impact of climate change in their daily lives. South Sudan does not only need humanitarian assistance but we need donors to be part of our development agenda," he said.

According to UNEP, South Sudan’s forest cover shrinks 1.5 percent annually due to deforestation as the 90 percent of the country relies on biomass fuels due to lack of electricity.

The country on May 18, 2014 ratified the UN Convention on Combating Climate Change (UNCCC) framework.

Acting Head of the UNDP Jean Loic Stallion said South Sudan is ranked globally among the most vulnerable countries to negative climate change effects.

"In the climate change vulnerable index 2017, South Sudan is ranked among the five worst performing countries in the world. The agricultural sector is extremely vulnerable to climate change shocks," he said.

"The country needs a bold and ambitious response particularly on the financing of climate change. South Sudan has estimated that around 50 billion U.S. dollars is required for mitigation and adaptation action up to 2030," he added.

Stallion added that access to electricity is critical for provision of social services such as education, health for sustainable livelihoods and that they were focusing on recovery and stabilization program to help the most vulnerable communities.

Minister of Agriculture Onyoti Adigo said that the prevailing food insecurity was a result of climate change as 11.8 million people in the country depend on rain-fed agriculture hence causing competition for resources resulting into inter-communal violence between pastoral tribes and cultivators.

"We need to invest in the environment to protect wildlife, forestry and biodiversity," he said. He revealed that the poverty levels in the country increased from 45 percent in 2011 to 68 percent in 2015.